A gobsmacked Greggs customer has urged people to have more empathy for what others might be going through after noticing a sign plastered on a shop window by staff, mocking their boss
We all have days where our boss becomes our enemy – but one Greggs employee has taken their frustrations to new heights.
A shopper walked past her nearby Greggs branch and noticed a “wildly inappropriate” note displayed in the window – mocking the boss.
Jodie-Louise Theyer had visited her local bakery in Orchard Shopping Centre in Taunton, Somerset and saw the “tone deaf” explanation as to why the store was closing early that day.
Jodie-Louise shared the note back in 2021 which said: “Customer notice: Unfortunately this shop will be closing at 2pm due to management being off sick (again); and covering manager only being available until 2/2.30pm. Sorry for any inconvenience.”
But she felt it was passive agressive as no one knows what goes on in people’s personal lives and sympathised with the boss.
The HR worker said the message made light of people taking sick days, and urged staff to be “more understanding” of the sensitive issue in the future as you never know what other people are going through. Greggs said at the time it was investigating the incident and ‘have policies in place to support valued colleagues when they are feeling unwell’.
Jodie said: “I saw the sign outside Greggs and thought it was a bit inappropriate. I was on my day off and I was just in town. I went to go get some lunch. I just thought if I was that manager, or a family member of that manager, and I saw that sign, it’s quite passive aggressive.”
She continued: “I tried to put myself in the position of if this was my partner or my child, or someone in my family. [If someone I knew] was at home really poorly, with an underlying condition or mental health condition, and they were really unwell, I’d be devastated. I’d struggle to see that.
“We’re in a situation at the moment where I think communities need to be more understanding of one another, more appreciative of one another. It’s a bit tone deaf. It’s not appropriate.”
Jodie posted her complaint online, arguing the note should have been worded better and says it highlights the pressure the industry is under due to the pandemic and the recruitment crisis.
She said she does not want to bash Greggs or its employees, but urged urged people to be more understanding. “The important thing to highlight is we need to be more understanding of one another at the moment,” she said. “Someone commented saying you need to understand the pressures people are under – I get it. A simple ‘we’re closing at 2pm today – sorry for the inconvenience’ would have been fine. It doesn’t need that detail about somebody and what they’re going through.”
A Greggs spokesperson said at the time: “We are currently investigating this internally and will contact our shop team to find out what’s happened. We have policies in place to support our valued colleagues when they are feeling unwell.”
